Category: artist grants

We are delighted to announce the awarding of 10 new Traditional Arts Apprenticeships. These Mass Cultural Council grants support the transmission and vitality of our state’s traditional arts by funding a master artist to mentor an apprentice in a 10-month learning experience.

. . . you have the opportunity to hire a professional film crew and still photographer to capture master musicians and dancers performing in a beautiful venue. Videos by Blake Road Productions and stills by Brendan Mercure.

Mass Cultural Council is pleased to announce that guidelines and applications are currently available for the next round of Artist Fellowships in the traditional arts.

Recent recipients include architectural woodcarver Dimitrios Klitsas, Cambodian ceramicist Yary Livan, Irish flute player Shannon Heaton, wooden boatbuilder Harold A. Burnham, and Malian balaphon player Balla Kouyaté. To see a complete list of past fellows in the Traditional Arts category, see here. All were recognized for their artistic excellence within art forms that are deeply rooted in traditional and ethnic culture.

The traditional arts include music, craft, dance, and verbal arts that are created and preserved within communities defined by cultural connections such as a common ethnic heritage, language, religion, occupation, or geography. Whether sung or told, handcrafted or performed, traditional art forms reflect a community’s shared sense of aesthetic heritage. The folk and traditional arts typically are learned during the course of daily living from someone steeped in the tradition, rather than through books, classes, or other means of institutional instruction. Artist Fellowships are for individuals not groups.

Fellowships in the traditional arts are awarded biennially. The postmark deadline to apply is October 2, 2017.

Despite gale force winds and rain on Mothers’ Day, the show went on. And what a show it was! We were delighted to have the opportunity to showcase a sampling of our state’s traditional artists to perform at one of the country’s most stunning concert halls — the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts. Performers were either past or current recipients of an Mass Cultural Council Artist Fellowship or Traditional Arts Apprenticeship. We’re happy to share some images shot by photographer Brendan Mercure.

Mass Cultural Council executive director Anita Walker gave a warm welcome to all in attendance, pointing out the richness of hidden treasures we have in the Commonwealth, many of whom have come here as immigrants.

We closed the concert with West African music and dance led by virtuoso balafon player Balla Kouyaté and master drummer/dancer Sidi “Joh” Camara. Both are considered hereditary artists, meaning they were born into the tradition.

Joining them on the stage was the next generation — Tiemoko Camara and Jossira and Sekou Balla Kouyaté — all of whom show great promise in carrying the traditions forward.

Balla stood up to invite audience members to join them on stage to dance.

Jossira helped by stepping down off the stage and reaching out her hand, encouraging people to join her. It worked – even 18-month old Maiya Camara got into the act.

Then it was time for a final bow. One of the magical things that happens when you bring musicians together from different world traditions is that they soon find common ground. This often happens back stage, behind the scenes. As one of our stage managers Sara Glidden pointed out, “All of you in the audience missed one of the highlights – the Indian musicians in the green room, jamming along to the video/audio feed of the Irish musicians on stage.”

Postscript: This email from leader of the Dominican masqueraders Stelvyn Mirabal gets to the heart of what our work as folklorists is all about. “I was received like a hero at my work on Monday. My Human Resources boss was at the show on Sunday and she didn’t know I was involved in the event until she saw me there. She took some pictures and posted in the company website. Then everyone was congratulating me for the show. She loved it!! Thanks again for thinking of us for your show.”

Come experience a Dominican carnival procession led by Stelvyn Mirabal, then be enthralled by leading exponents of South Indian vocals, violin, and percussion, Irish flute, uilleann pipe and old style step dance, and West African balafon (xylophone), djembe drum, and ceremonial dance. The concert will take place at the stunningly beautiful Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts on Sunday May 14 at 5:00 pm.

Carnatic music of South India is one of the oldest music systems in the world. Built upon talas (rhythmic cycles) and ragas (melodic scales), the basic transmission of this venerable South Indian tradition is done via face-to-face lessons in which the guru vocalizes first and then demonstrates the lesson.

Irish tradition has deep roots in Massachusetts. Tunes once played at crossroad dances traveled the ocean in the hearts, hands, and feet of Irish immigrants. Boston in known for its active scene of pub sessions, concerts, competitions, and classes.

In parts of Mali, West Africa, dance, music, and song are an integral part of everyday life. Birth, death, initiation rites, and marriage are all marked with specific dances and songs. Many musicians and dancers are hereditary artists, meaning they are born into the tradition.

The concert will take place at the stunningly beautiful Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts on Sunday May 14 at 5:00 pm. A perfect outing for Mother’s Day!

Shannon Heaton ( MCC Artist Fellow 2016) has just launched the inaugural episode of her podcast, ” Irish Music Stories.” She takes us from Boston to Chicago to County Clare, Ireland, where we hear from young players and older masters alike. They reflect on the tunes and how they are learned, the excitement of competing in competitions, and the sense of community that is forged through the multi-generational sharing of the music. It’s like a Valentine’s Day gift to Irish traditional music lovers around the world. Great work Shannon. We look forward to hearing more episodes.

We are delighted to announce the next round of Traditional Arts Apprenticeships funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Master artists will work one-on-one with apprentices in the following traditional art forms: wooden boatbuilding and restoration, the design and making of wooden steering wheels, Cambodian traditional ornamentation, West African dance and drumming, Cape Breton and Scottish fiddle, Cape Breton step dance, and North Indian Mithila art. Apprenticeships last for ten month and culminate in some sort of a public event.

This memorial honoring Cape Breton fiddler Joe Cormier was written by friend and fellow musician John Mark Garrison.

Joe Cormier, one of the greatest of the Cape Breton fiddlers, passed away Sunday, January 31st at the age of 88. Born March 19, 1927 in Cheticamp, Nova Scotia, Joe took to the fiddle at an early age. Cheticamp at that time was a small fishing village in the French-speaking area of Cape Breton which had originally been settled by French Acadians in the 18th century. The nearest railroad was in Inverness, 45 miles away. (Joe said he remembered when flour got scarce in winter it would be brought in from Inverness by horse and sleigh — a round trip of 90 miles.)

Two of Joe’s biggest musical influences were Angus Chisholm and Winston Fitzgerald, two of the greatest Cape Breton fiddlers who used to visit his house when he was growing up. From them and others, Joe learned the old Scottish repertoire and style that is the heart of Cape Breton fiddle music. By the time he was a teenager, he was already playing regularly for dances throughout Cape Breton.

In 1962, Joe moved with his wife Norma, and their children to Waltham, Massachusetts. He worked as an electrician and was a force in the local music scene. He played regularly at the Saturday night dances held at the French American Victory Club in Waltham and at the Canadian American Club in Watertown.

During the 1970s, Joe performed from time to time with the “Cape Breton Symphony,” a group of four or five traditional fiddlers that appeared on the weekly “John Allen Cameron Show” on Canadian television. In 1974, Mark Wilson recorded an influential LP album of Joe’s music for Rounder Records. Although several LPs of Cape Breton fiddling had been available in Canada, these were mostly reissues of earlier 78s. Joe’s record exposed the music to a wider audience and played a significant part in reviving this beautiful and ancient tradition.

Joe continued to play regularly and record, doing three more solo CDs for Rounder as well as several recordings with other fiddlers such as Jerry Robichaud and his nephew J. P. Cormier.

I was lucky to know Joe for the past 20 years. In spite of his immense talent, he was very modest about his music and encouraging to other players. Every Wednesday evening, he invited a small group of younger players to his house to share tunes and stories.

Joe loved the old style of playing he learned from Angus, Winston, and the other great fiddlers he grew up listening to. At the same time, he had his own unique ‘touch’ which imparted a wonderful lilt and swing to his playing.

He is survived by his wife Norma, his six children as well as numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He touched many people with his music and his warm and generous spirit.